Display-sign



D W. HUSTON.

l `msm/nf sum.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3. |1920.

Pat'd May 10,1921.

PATE-Nt' 4FFQE.

DWIGHT W. I-IUS'ION, 0F SPRNGFIELD, OHIO.

DISPLAY-SIGN.

i erases.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 10, 1921.

Application filed May 13, 1920. Serial No. 381,136.

To all4 who/m, t may concern:

Be it known that I, DWIGHT `W. HUsToN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing` at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful improvements in Display-Signs, of which the following is a specification.

rEhe object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient construction of display sign for lettering and figures which while serving in the ordinary way in daylight may be equally effective at night by illumination without alteration or modification and under conditions which will permit of the use of the sign as a permanent institution in connection with business houses such as stores, oflices cafs and the like where provision is ordinarily made by way of transparencies or the like to permit of an attractive display through the agency of artificial light when daylight is not available for the purpose; and with this object in view the invention consists in a construction of which a preferred embodiment is shown in the drawings, wherein Figure l is a front view of the sign as it appears with a source of light in rear thereof.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the sign as it appears in daylight under normal conditions as when there is no artificial source of light disposed in rear thereof.

Fig. 3 is a rear View of the sign showing the arrangement of the pigment or coating.

Fig. 4t is a sectional view of the sign to show the relation vbetween layers of coating material and the translucent medium forming the base of the sign.

The base 10 of the sign may consist of any translucent or semi-transparent light penetratable sheet such as paper, linen or other fabric or an equivalent thereof upon the front surface of which there is applied a coating 11 of an dpaque pigment outlining the letter or figure as shown at 12 which is left unobstructed to expose the surface of the base and which should be of a color contrasting sharply with that of the coating, so that when the sign is viewed from the side provided with the coating l1 the lettering or other subject matter of the display will appear in the color of the base on a back ground covered by the coating.

On the reverse side of the base, there is applied a coating 13 which may be either opaque or semi-opaque arranged to outline a plurality of openings 14 exposing the base on lines following the lettering or figures represented on the face or obverse side of the sign as indicated in Fig. l. If desired, the coating .13 may be arranged to also outline openings l5 which follow the outline or contour of the letter or figure, to the end that when a light is disposed in rear of the openings in the rear coating they will be illuminated and the light shining therethrough will outline thelettering or figures as indicated for example in Fig. l with the body portion of the letter or figure between the openings shaded or serving to partly obstruct the light.

In addition a semi-transparent supplemental coating 16 may beapplied to portions of the surface of the exposed base representing the openings in the rear coating to give the appearance of shading the openings so that the light penetratable portions of the base occurring in said openings of the rear coating will have the appearance of projecting from the surface of the base or will have the appearance of being set up or raised in relief or beads applied to and projecting from the surface of the base. lt will be obvious that a sign constructed as indicated will not only be effective in displaying' the information desired but will have an ornamental appearance of greater or less f attractiveness according to the design which is adopted and the skill of the artists by whom it has been designed.

lvVhat is claimed is l. An illuminable sign having a light penetratable base provided upon its obverse and reverse surfaces with coatings of which the former is disposed to outline the display matter by exposure of the surface of the base and of which the latter is disposed to outline openings also exposing the base and following the lines of and defining the outlines of the display matter exposed at the obverse surface.

2. An illuminable sign having a light upon the obverse surface, and :L supplemental shading coating disposed on the sui'- face of the base Within the openings outlined 10 bythe rear coating.

In testimony ywhereof I alix my signature.

DWIGHT W. HUSTON. 

